Updated

Updated · WRAL News · Oct 8

Trump May Scrap 10th College Football Visit as Hurricane Isaias Threatens Alabama-Georgia Game

Updated

Updated · WRAL News · Oct 8

Trump May Scrap 10th College Football Visit as Hurricane Isaias Threatens Alabama-Georgia Game

Q: With a Category 2 hurricane looming, will the massive Alabama-Georgia game be forced to Sunday, altering the President's plans?

No. As of Wednesday night, Alabama said the Alabama-Georgia game was still set for Saturday evening, and there was no official move to Sunday. Trump’s attendance also remained undecided, tied to the storm’s path and safety concerns. What is clear is that a Sunday shift was a real contingency, not a decision. Alabama athletics said kickoff remained scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT Saturday while the school, Georgia, the National Weather Service and the SEC monitored Hurricane Isaias. The SEC would make any final call. Meteorologist James Spann said Sunday night could be the “best choice” if conditions worsened, but he also stressed the heavy logistical complications. Those complications were significant: a top-10 matchup, a full stadium, ESPN’s College GameDay and a presidential visit, all while Alabama was under a state of emergency in dozens of counties. Forecasts suggested Tuscaloosa, though well inland, could still see heavy rain, strong wind gusts, flash flooding and isolated tornadoes from late Friday into Saturday. Trump said he still hoped to attend, saying, “I love Alabama. I gotta go to the game,” but added he would not go if his trip would divert first responders or law enforcement from storm response. So the game was not forced to Sunday at that point. It remained on for Saturday, with Sunday only a possible backup if Hurricane Isaias made conditions unsafe.

3 articles · Updated · WRAL News · Oct 8

Saturday’s Alabama-Georgia game in Tuscaloosa could lose a high-profile attendee after Donald Trump said Hurricane Isaias may force him to drop plans to visit Bryant-Denny Stadium following a Tennessee rally.
Isaias is threatening parts of Alabama, Mississippi and Florida, and Trump said he would not want to divert first responders or law enforcement if the storm intensifies.
The trip would mark Trump’s 10th college football game as president since 2017, extending a sports-heavy campaign schedule a month before the Nov. 3 midterms.
The White House argues those appearances energize core supporters, but analysts say the strategy may do little to sway voters and can trigger backlash over security disruptions and the blending of sports with politics.